One of the things you give up when you buy used, is being treated by the manufacturer as if you had purchased it new. There are some manufacturers who, as a courtesy (Roger Sanders, Jeff Rowland, Loyd Walker, Nelson Pass, Ralph Karsten and others) go out of their way to offer their support to the user of their gear without question. I'm not sure if those courtesies would be offered to me if I were overseas, or if the manufacturers sales were exposed to gray market competition.
Viva, no longer a fan
Viva as a company has decided to abandon the audiophiles who engage in the used market. I heard that the had implemented new transformers in there amps. I emailed them directly 3 times over a 2 week period with no reply. Finally I called and the knew who I was by name, surprised I was then told that the US importer would be contacting me. Here is the mail exchange:
From: John Krupa
Date: September 21, 2016 at 7:04:52 PM EDT
To: support@vivaaudio
Subject: Fwd: Viva Audio
Totally what I did not expect!!! I was primarily looking to upgrade them to the new Quattro status as I understand there was an big transformer upgrade that I was willing do in addition to the voltage change. After the Bob Clarke email I was taken back and responded how I felt. I really am no longer interested in Viva as a company to do business with if that is the case and will blog the copy of this email to the various sites.
From: John Krupa
Date: September 21, 2016 at 2:08:37 AM EDT
To: Bob Clarke
Subject: Re: Viva Audio
The Verona's are at my Girlfriends house in Manchester. I heard there was a new Transformer upgrade in the Quattro series, hence my interest. I have over $300k invested in my system and I have Sola CVS transformers providing both voltages hence it was only for convenience sake. Upgrades are and have been part of this industry that I have been a part of for over 40 years since I started in this hobby. Name the manufacturer and it hasn't been a problem. Upgrading from. Mk1 to a Mk2 or an SE upgrade. Weather it be BAT, YG, Plinius, Ayre, the list goes on and on, It's a shame that a manufacturer acts in such a petty way. I will make sure that I share this email on all the sites that I am a part of! It's funny but this I believe reduces the brands appeal and will drive down its resale valve hence the initial desire to purchase in the first place. This is an email I would have expected from a "name deleted" type. Now I guess Viva! No longer a fan!
On Sep 20, 2016, at 12:02 PM, Bob Clarke wrote:
Dear Mr. Krupa,
Viva Audio has asked me to respond to your request regarding voltage changes and upgrades for Viva Verona amplifiers and Linea linestage. Viva no longer services equipment purchased on the used market from anyone that is not an authorized Viva dealer. They do not make voltage changes, in order to discourage grey-market international sales. I would recommend using a high-quality, high-current step-down transformer, which, besides allowing the use of a European voltage product, will also have the beneficial effects that isolation transformers provide.
Best regards,
Bob Clarke
Profundo
From: John Krupa
Date: September 21, 2016 at 7:04:52 PM EDT
To: support@vivaaudio
Subject: Fwd: Viva Audio
Totally what I did not expect!!! I was primarily looking to upgrade them to the new Quattro status as I understand there was an big transformer upgrade that I was willing do in addition to the voltage change. After the Bob Clarke email I was taken back and responded how I felt. I really am no longer interested in Viva as a company to do business with if that is the case and will blog the copy of this email to the various sites.
From: John Krupa
Date: September 21, 2016 at 2:08:37 AM EDT
To: Bob Clarke
Subject: Re: Viva Audio
The Verona's are at my Girlfriends house in Manchester. I heard there was a new Transformer upgrade in the Quattro series, hence my interest. I have over $300k invested in my system and I have Sola CVS transformers providing both voltages hence it was only for convenience sake. Upgrades are and have been part of this industry that I have been a part of for over 40 years since I started in this hobby. Name the manufacturer and it hasn't been a problem. Upgrading from. Mk1 to a Mk2 or an SE upgrade. Weather it be BAT, YG, Plinius, Ayre, the list goes on and on, It's a shame that a manufacturer acts in such a petty way. I will make sure that I share this email on all the sites that I am a part of! It's funny but this I believe reduces the brands appeal and will drive down its resale valve hence the initial desire to purchase in the first place. This is an email I would have expected from a "name deleted" type. Now I guess Viva! No longer a fan!
On Sep 20, 2016, at 12:02 PM, Bob Clarke wrote:
Dear Mr. Krupa,
Viva Audio has asked me to respond to your request regarding voltage changes and upgrades for Viva Verona amplifiers and Linea linestage. Viva no longer services equipment purchased on the used market from anyone that is not an authorized Viva dealer. They do not make voltage changes, in order to discourage grey-market international sales. I would recommend using a high-quality, high-current step-down transformer, which, besides allowing the use of a European voltage product, will also have the beneficial effects that isolation transformers provide.
Best regards,
Bob Clarke
Profundo